Jacob Duffy is a New Zealand cricketer who represents Otago in domestic cricket. He made his senior debut in January 2012 in an HRV Cup match against Northern Districts. His New Zealand international debut came in December 2020.
He was born in Lumsden in the Southland Region and studied at Southland Boys’ High School in Invercargill. When he played his first T20I in December 2020, he became the first cricketer from Southland to debut for New Zealand since Jeff Wilson in 1993.
In 2024, Duffy received his first central contract from New Zealand Cricket. In 2023, he took nine wickets in a match against Northern Districts in Dunedin. That performance made him Otago’s highest wicket-taker across all formats, breaking a long-standing record held by Stephen Boock.
Jacob Duffy Records and Achievements
Jacob Duffy was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the 2017–18 Plunket Shield season with 29 wickets in eight matches. He was the leading wicket-taker for Otago in the 2018–19 Ford Trophy with 25 wickets and the joint-leading wicket-taker for Otago in the 2018–19 Super Smash with 13 wickets.
On his T20I debut for New Zealand against Pakistan in December 2020, Duffy took 4 wickets for 33 runs and was named Player of the Match. In county cricket, he took eight wickets on debut for Kent in 2022, including a five-wicket haul with three wickets in one over.
Jacob Duffy’s Career Stats
Jacob Duffy has played 4 Test matches where he has taken 25 wickets, with his best bowling figures being 5 for 34. He has picked up three five-wicket hauls in Tests. With the bat in Tests, he has scored 78 runs in 4 matches..
In One Day Internationals, Jacob Duffy has played 19 matches and taken 35 wickets. His best ODI bowling figures are 3 for 35. In ODIs, he has scored 12 runs with the bat.
In T20 Internationals, he has featured in 41 matches and claimed 56 wickets. His best bowling performance in T20Is is 4 for 14, and he has taken five four-wicket hauls. As a batter in T20Is, he has scored 28 runs in 41 matches.
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 4 | 25 | 5/34 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| ODIs | 19 | 35 | 3/35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20Is | 41 | 56 | 4/14 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 4 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| ODIs | 19 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| T20Is | 41 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Jacob Duffy’s Personal Life
Jacob Duffy comes from Lumsden, a very small town in New Zealand’s Southland region with a population of about 530 people. He grew up there playing cricket at home because there was no formal cricket academy. His father made a proper clay pitch in their backyard, and Jacob played regularly with his older brothers, Ryan and Matt, even in snow or rain.
He spent much of his childhood in simple surroundings and stayed closely connected to his town. He has said he does not like big cities and prefers living in the South, which is why he has not moved permanently to places like Auckland or Wellington.
During his teenage years, he moved to Invercargill for schooling. That is where he began playing structured cricket and slowly built confidence. He has spoken about feeling inferior to players from bigger regions early on, but making the New Zealand Under-19 team helped him believe in his ability.
Jacob Duffy’s Contract
Jacob Duffy received his first International Playing Contract from New Zealand Cricket in 2024. The contract comes 12 years after his professional debut for the Otago Volts, which he made at the age of 17 while studying at Southland Boys’ High School. The former Southland Hawke Cup cricketer was offered a central contract for the 2025–2026 season too.
New Zealand Cricket announced a list of 20 players who were offered central contracts, and Duffy was one of the new inclusions. Black Caps selector Sam Wells congratulated the selected players and said it was exciting to see Jacob Duffy and the other new faces receive their first contract offers.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy for ₹2 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. He was picked at his base price, and RCB called the deal a bargain. The auction took place on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Duffy is 31 years old and is currently ranked world number four in T20I bowling. RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat said the team believes Duffy is a bargain signing.
FAQs
Q. Where is Jacob Duffy from?
A. Jacob Duffy is from Lumsden, Southland, New Zealand.
Q. When did Jacob Duffy make his T20I debut?
A. Jacob Duffy made his T20I debut on 18 December 2020 against Pakistan.Kw
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